Car-coupling



(No Model 1 S. H. SPRINGE GAR GOUPLING.

Patented July 18,1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN H. SPRINGER, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 501,592, dated July 18,1893.

Application filed August 23,1892. Serial No.443,920. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN H. SPRINGER, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State ofIowa, have invented an Automatic Oar-Coupling, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to that class of car couplings in which jaws arepivoted in draw heads to swing horizontally and to reciprocally engageeach other, when two cars come together on a track, as required toautomatically couple two cars together. Heretofore such jaws have beenlocked in closed positions by means of latches located in cavitiesinside of the draw heads and adapted in form and position to engage theextremities or tail ends of the jaws that extended rearward into thedraw heads.

My object is, first, to form and combine a draw head and jaw, and alocking device in such a manner that the pivot and the latch will be inthe line of the draft and the tail end of the jaw in an abuttingposition to a lateral projection at the side of the draw head, when thejaw is closed and a draft force applied to the jaw, and the latch at theopposite side of the draw head in engagement with the central positionof the rear face of the jaw; second, to connect the latch with a car bymeans of mechanism for uncoupling that is adapted to be operated by aperson at the side of a car, and also adapted to be automaticallyoperated whenever the rear end of the draw bar is broken loose from thecar, as required to sever a train or a car from a train when suchaccidents occur.

I accomplish the resultscontelnplated by the invention hereinafter setforth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View of a novel form ofjaw that has a shoulder, adapted to be engaged by a latch, at thecentral portion of its rear face. Fig. 2 is a top View of the draw headand latch. Dotted lines show the position of jaw when unlocked and open.Fig. 3 is a sectional view through a horizontal plane of the draw headand the jaw pivoted thereto and in a closed and locked position. Fig. 4,represents'the latch. Fig. 5, is a perspective View showing my completeinvention applied to a car, as required for practical use, and the jawin a closed and locked position.

A represents a draw bar and B a draw head, of peculiar form, on itsfront end.

0 is a curved lateral extension, at one side of the head, that has anopen cavity adapted and bifurcated to adapt it to be connected withanother car by means of an open link and a pin in a common way.

J is a rearward projection at the side of the draw head that produces aspace between its inner face and the side face of the draw head that isopen at its top and bottom and rear and adapted to receive a gravitatinglatch.

K is a latch that is curved at its upper end and perforated and adaptedto be suspended in the cavity at the side of the draw head by means of apin or screw L, in such a manner that the latch can swing rearward in avertical plane.

M is a rock shaft in bearings fixed to a car. It has a handle at itsouter end by means of which it can be operated by a person at the sideof the car, and an arm N at its inner end that is connected with thelower end of the latch K, by means of a rod'P, in such a manner that thelatch can be drawn backward and disengaged from the shoulder H of thejaw 13 by simply pressing the handle of the rock shaft forward andupward to thereby throw the arm N rearward;

When two cars are equipped with my draw head and safety device and cometogether on atrack the jaws will reciprocally engage each other and thelatches will automatically ongage the shoulders in the rear faces of theto disengage one of the latches from the jaw with which it is engaged sothat the jaw can swing on its pivot and release the mating jaw.

When by accident the draw bar becomes loose from the car and is pulledforward the latch will be automatically operated to uncouple and todisconnect a car or sever a train as may be required to prevent greaterdamage and disaster to a moving train.

I claim as my invention 1. In a car-coupling, a draw head having an opencavity extending from one side thereof to near the other side and therear face or wall of said cavity concave from end to end, a cavityextending vertically through the side portion of the draw head andintersecting the open end portion of the horizontal cavity, and a jawpivoted in said horizontal cavity and provided with a rear extensionthat is convex on its rear faceand adapted to abut against the saidconcave face of the rear wall of the horizontal cavity and also providedwith a shoulder extending vertically in the rear convex face of the saidrear extension and a latch pivoted in the said vertical cavity of thedraw head and adapted to swing in a vertical plane and to engage theshoulder on the rear face of the rear extension of the jaw, and meansfor withdrawing the latch from engagement with the said shoulder on therear extension of the jaw, all constructed and arranged and combined tooperate in the manner set forth.

2. A draw bar having a head 13, a curved lateral extension 0 and aconcave opening or cavity as shown and described, a rearward projectionJ, a jaw D having a curved extension and shoulder H on the rear convexface thereof, and a pivoted latch K, arranged and combined substantiallyas and for the purposes stated.

8. An improved automatic car coupling comprising a draw head having anopen cavity extending from one side thereof to near the other end andthe rear face or wall of said cavity concave from end teemd, a cavityextending vertically through the side portion of the draw head andintersecting the open end portion of said horizontal cavity and a jawpivoted in said horizontal cavity and provided with a rear extensionthat is convex on its rear face and adapted to abut against the concaveface of the horizontal cavity and also provided with a shoulderextending vertically in the convex face of said rear extension of thejaw, a latch pivoted in the said vertical cavity to swing in a verticalplane and adapted to engage the said shoulder in the convex face of therear extension of the jaw, and a rock shaft in bearings-on the car andprovided with a crank or arm connected with the lower end of the pendentlatch by means of a rod, to operate in the manner set forth for thepurposes stated.

STEPHEN l-l. SPRINGER.

Vitnesses:

J. RALPH ORVVIG, THOMAS G. ORWIG.

